Classical music — orchestral and opera — has been one of my major interests for most of my life. I'll use this blog to tell about some of the concerts I'm attending and the opportunities to listen to some of them and other good programs on the web.
This is the next to last weekend of the BSO's Tanglewood seaso I'm sorry I forgot to post yesterday. They did Appalachian Spring and Beethoven's Seventh Symphony while I was listening to the Red Sox losing in Pittsburgh.
In an encore broadcast from 2025, John Williams’ Film Night returns with a fabulous program of film music highlights specially curated by Maestro Williams himself and featuring Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. It’s a special evening of magical music that you won’t want to miss!
Boston Pops Orchestra John Williams, curator Keith Lockhart, conductor Alexandre Lecarme, cello *
Film Night! an all-John WILLIAMS program "Flight to Neverland," from Hook Suite from Far and Away "Sayuri's Theme," from Memoirs of a Geisha * "Out to Sea" and "Shark Cage Fugue," from Jaws Symphonic Suite from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial "Superman March" from Superman Celebrating Indiana Jones Dear Basketball "Adventures of Han," "Princess Leia's Theme," and "Throne Room," and "Finale" from Star Wars "Yoda's Theme" and "Imperial March," from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
In an interview with CRB's Brian McCreath, Marin Alsop reflects on her time as a student at the Tanglewood Music Center, studying with Leonard Bernstein, and what Mahler's Fifth Symphony means for young musicians today. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):
Brian McCreath You'll be returning
If you read the fine print, you see that this is a rebroadcast of a concert from last summer, which is a little bit surprising since this evening's live concert is what the BSO calls "Maestro of the Movies," which they describe thus:
Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams is the ultimate concert celebration of the man who truly has composed the soundtrack to our lives. With selections from his most iconic scores – Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman, Lincoln and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Maestro of the Movies also features more than fifty minutes of specially edited scenes and clips from John Williams’ best-loved films, projected in HD and in sync to his spectacular music. This loving tribute to the greatest musical storyteller of our time is feast for the eyes and the ears!
The Boston Pops will be conducted by Ken-David Masur.
Tanglewood Music Center alum Marin Alsop leads the TMCO in Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, with soloist Ray Chen making his Tanglewood debut, as well as Anna Clyne’s Masquerade and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra Marin Alsop, conductor Ray Chen, violin
Anna CLYNE Masquerade Max BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 Gustav MAHLER Symphony No. 5
I'll be listening to the Red Sox again this evening (Saturday), but the Pops concert of John Williams' music should be very pleasant. Sunday looks good too.
Special guests Jon Batiste, Jennifer Kreisberg (a founding member of the Native women’s trio ULALI), Aoife O’Donovan, James Taylor, historian Heather Cox Richardson, and Bryan Stevenson come together for the second of three concerts curated by Yo-Yo Ma. This quintessentially American program — featuring compositions with close ties to Tanglewood and the BSO, including works by Brent Michael Davids, Julia Wolfe, Bernstein, Copland, and Ives — reflects the triumphs, tragedies, and possibilities of our country, asking who we are, where we are going, and who we can be.
“America is an experiment, and to be an American is to always ask: Who are we? What is our purpose? What gives us meaning?”— Yo-Yo Ma
Boston Symphony Orchestra Teddy Abrams and Ken-David Masur, conductor Yo-Yo Ma, cello Aoife O'Donovan, vocals Jennifer Kreisberg, vocals James Taylor, vocals Jon Batiste, piano and vocals Heather Cox Richardson, guest speaker Bryan Stevenson, guest speaker Diana Wyenn, director and dramaturg
Aaron COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man Charles IVES The Unanswered Question Brent Michael DAVIDS Indigenous/Undigenous II – Lenape Stephen FOSTER Slumber My Darling Traditional, (arr. Jeremy KITTEL) Lakes of Pontchartrain (with Bonnie Bewick, violin) John Knowles PAINE Columbian March and Hymn Antonín DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto, third movement Leonard BERNSTEIN Improvisation on Somewhere from West Side Story Jennifer KREISBERG naká·yè·r sihskę̀·nę (may it be that you have peace) Julia WOLFE Liberty Bell Jon BATISTE American Symphony theme; Big Money FOSTER Hard Times Come Again No More Carole KING You've Got a Friend COPLAND Symphony No. 3, fourth movement
Hear a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma about "We The People":
Ahead of "We The People," a week-long festival he curated for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma speaks about the power of practicing gratitude, music's role in restoring the spirit, and what we can learn from Johannes Brahms.
This journey in music and words brings Ma and the BSO together with special guests including Jon Batiste, Jennifer Kreisberg (a founding member of the Native women’s trio ULALI), Aoife O’Donovan (of Crooked Still and I’m With Her), James Taylor, historian Heather Cox Richardson, and Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.
This quintessentially American program — featuring compositions with close ties to Tanglewood and the BSO, including works by Brent Michael Davids, Julia Wolfe, Bernstein, Copland, and Ives — reflects the triumphs, tragedies, and possibilities of our country, asking who we are, where we are going, and who we can be.
There are apparently no program notes, but there are links to performer bios.
In the final part of a three-concert series curated by Yo-Yo Ma Grammy-winning vocalist Arooj Aftab and Ma are the soloists in John Tavener’s Mahámátar,with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Chorus. Then, cellist and Silkroad Ensemble member Karen Ouzounian is the soloist in Iranian composer Kayhan Kalhor’s Venus in the Mirror, with the composer as co-soloist, and BSO cellist Christine Lee is the soloist in Osvaldo Golijov’s BSO-commissioned Azul.
“We offer a prayer for the future, one that encompasses all the world’s people, that acknowledges sacrifice and seeks inspiration, that contains the arc of the human and natural world, from the primordial planet, through the emergence of humanity, all the way into space and a planetary, humanist, universal future.” — Yo-Yo Ma
Anna Handler, conductor Samy Rachid, conductor Yo-Yo Ma, cello (Tavener) Karen Ouzounian, cello (Kalhor) Christine Lee, cello (Golijov) Kayhan Kalhor, kamanche Arooj Afjab, vocalist Boston University Tanglewood Institute Chorus
John TAVENER Mahámátar, for cello, voice, chorus, and orchestra Kayhan KALHOR Venus in the Mirror, for kamanche, cello, and orchestra Osvaldo GOLIJOV Azul, for cello and orchestra
Hear a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma about "We The People":
Ahead of "We The People," a week-long festival he curated for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma speaks about the power of practicing gratitude, music's role in restoring the spirit, and what we can learn from Johannes Brahms.
We The People’s closing concert is a celebration of human creativity and a prayer for our future. From Mahámátar — John Tavener’s astonishing choral invocation, featuring Grammy-winning vocalist Arooj Aftab — to Venus in the Mirror — Kayhan Kalhor’s visceral plea for peace and equality, featuring cellist Karen Ouzounian and Kalhor on the kamancheh — to Azul — Osvaldo Golijov’s world-expanding sonic tapestry, featuring BSO cellist Christine Lee — this afternoon’s program offers us space to imagine a better future.
“We offer a prayer for the future, one that encompasses all the world’s people, that acknowledges sacrifice and seeks inspiration, that contains the arc of the human and natural world, from the primordial planet, through the emergence of humanity, all the way into space and a planetary, humanist, universal future.” — Yo-Yo Ma
This time there are program notes.
To my mind, the Saturday program is more appealing than Sunday's. You may feel differently.
This is the site for schedules, online ticket purchases, notes about works to be performed, information about various events including the Pops and Tanglewood seasons, online purchases of Symphony recordings and other merchandise, information about Symphony Hall, and more.
they broadcast and stream Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts, live performances in their studios, and concerts that they have recorded elsewhere, as well as commercial recordings
they broadcast and stream the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinees and their own "Sunday Night at the Opera," recorded concerts by orchestras in other cities, as well as commercial recordings
located in Colorado Springs, CO — they broadcast and stream locally produced programming, including recordings of concerts by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, as well as other orchestras around the country, the Met and commercial recordings
they do remarkably well on a shoestring budget — send a contribution if you can afford it
ABC Classic FM — www.abc.net.au/classic/
all classical
Australian broadcaster — also streams their programs
